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Sciences 

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2:t  WEST  MAIN  S^^EET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716»  972-4503 


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CIHM/iCMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Ir 


ihe 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


licroreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproduction*  hittoriques 


rmm 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/I 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
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reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag6e 


m 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul6e 


D 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 


D 
D 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli^  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 


D 


Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  sd  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6td  film6es. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Cornmentaire&  suppldmentaires: 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  belov 
Ce  document  est  film6  p'j  taux  de  rdduction  indiqud  ci- 


10X 

14X 

18X 

12X 


16X 


20X 


Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  tecliniques  et  bibliographiques 


tain  the  best 
Features  of  this 
lly  unique. 
B  in  the 

icsntly  change 
hecked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  (§t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaift    lui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibli     raphique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reprodjite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normals  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


lated/ 
>ellicul6e 


le 


lieur 

blue  or  black)/ 
|ue  bleue  ou  noire) 

rations/ 
an  couleur 


Its 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

n 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag6es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  peilicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d^colordes,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d4tach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 


idows  or  distortion 

de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
e  intdrieure 

9storation  may 

never  possible,  these 

ling/ 

)s  blanches  ajoutdes 

raissent  dans  le  texte, 

tible,  ces  pages  n'ont 


D 

D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6td  film6es  d  nouveau  de  fagon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


ires: 


n  ratio  checked  below/ 
rdduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 

18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


20X 


24^ 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  Congress 
Photoduplication  Service 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  witl^  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion., and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — •-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  uppe/  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
requked.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


1 

4 

1 

)duced  thanks 


rvice 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  re 
gAnAro8it6  de: 


oduit  grAce  A  la 


Library  of  Congress 
Photoduplication  Service 


3est  quality 
ind  legibility 
with  the 


ers  are  filmed 
ending  on 
irated  impres- 
priate.  All 
inning  on  the 
Bd  impres- 
rith  a  printed 


icrofiche 
ling  "CON- 
ng  "END"). 


filmed  at 
o  large  to  be 
re  filmed 
rner,  left  to 
rames  as 
lustrate  the 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  film6s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  fllmds  en  commenpant  par  la 
prctmidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iliustretion  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  r6duction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  d  paitir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


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2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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WHAT  CAUSED  THE  DEPORTATION 


OF  THE  ACADIANS? 


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JAMES  PHINNEY  BAXTER. 


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.JH  PBOC     blllNOB  OF  THE  AMERICAN  ANTIQUABIAN  SOCIETY,  AT  THE 
HBIU-AMMUAL  MBBT)NU,  APBIL  26,  1899. 


^axctfittt,  Paieii*.,  %.  $.  % 

PRESS     OF    CHARLES    HAMILTON, 

311    MAIN    STREET. 

1899. 


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WHAT  CAUSED  THE  DEPORTATION  OF  THE 
ACADIANSI 


It  seems  safe  to  observe  that  all  historical  analyses  reciuire 
documentary  evidence  to  satisfy  the  critical  spirit  of  the 
present  age.  In  such  analj'ses,  the  imaginative  faculty  is 
not  [)ermitted  to  enjoy  the  scope  which  was  once  accorded 
it,  and  the  writer  who  overlooks  this  incurs  grave  responsi- 
bilities. An  author,  however,  is  not  to  be  held  to  too 
severe  account  for  missing  evidence.  He  may  use  due 
diligence  in  seeking  it,  and  yet  miss  valuable  matter  to 
which  access  is  difficult,  or  unknown  to  him ;  nay,  it 
happeis,  that  one's  very  familiarity  with  a  subject  some- 
times renders  him  oblivious  to  an  important  detail  close 
at  hand  ;  hence  one  should  be  chary  in  ascribing  lapses  of 
this  sort  to  wilful  oversight. 

Again,  it  seems  safe  to  observe,  that  in  estimating  the 
moral  contents  of  an  act  of  the  past,  we  should  take  into 
account  the  difference  between  the  standards  then  and  now 
employed,  as  well  as  the  social  conditions  and  political 
exigencies  of  the  time. 

These  reflections  have  been  prompted  by  a  late  severe 
arraignment  of  certain  historical  workers,  one  of  whom  is 
no  less  than  the  late  Francis  Parkman  of  happy  memory, 
who  in  treating  of  the  Acadians,  is  accused  not  only  of 
wilfully  misrepresenting  and  distorting  facts,  but  of  ma- 
liciously suppressing  evidence  in  their  favor,  in  order  to 
strengthen  the  case  of  his  English  forebears.*  Little  did 
the  author  of  "  Evangeline  "  realize,   when  he  penned  that 


ruti  Acadia,  2fmv  Tork,  Home  Book  Company;  Montreal,  John  Lovell  &,  Son. 


ii;itf[|iiiniarniiwijiipi 


adinimble  poem,  that  he  was  creating  liistory  ;  and  yet  very 
nmny  persons,  probably  a  majority  of  our  people,  take 
their  history  of  the  Acadians  fi'om  that  poetic  fiction,  just 
as  a  considerable  number  of  people  iake  their  theology 
from  the  "  Paradise  Lost."  Such  persons  will  be  likely  to 
listen  approvingl}'  to  a  wv\t  jr  who  is  in  accord  with  them, 
and  disapprovingly  to  one  who  presents  the  other  side  of 
the  case  ;  and  3'et,  there  is  another  side. 

To  approximate  a  reasonable  understanding  of  all  that 
wfl.8  involved  in  the  deportation  of  the  Acadians,  we  should 
go  back  to  the  year  1713,  that  memorable  year  in  which, 
by  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  Acadia  was  ceded  to  Great  Britain. 
The  cession  of  Acadia  was  but  an  incident  n  the  great 
struggle  between  principles  whio^  'md  been  in  conflict  for 
centuries,  and  which  had  drenched  battle-fields  (vith  blood. 
The  spirit  of  universal  dominion  has  always  been  the  inspi- 
ration of  the  Roman  Church.  When  the  Ron.  an  Empire 
changed  her  name  to  the  Holy  Roman  Empire  she  did  not 
oliange  her  spirit,  but  as  ever  demanded  unquestioning 
obedience  to  her  pow  r.  She  it  was  who  dominated  the 
French  court,  directed  statesmanship  and  shaped  diplomacy  ; 
and  she  it  was  who  kept  alive  the  fires  of  war  in  Europe 
and  on  this  continent,  that  she  might  finally  bring  the  na- 
tions to  her  foot-stool.  Sometimes  she  won,  sometimes 
she  lo3t,  but  she  never  dreamed  of  giving  up  the  contest. 
Rome  was  eternal ;  monarchs,  nations  even,  temporary. 
She  had  lost  now,  but  the  animositiea,  lacial,  religious, 
and  irreconcilable,  survived,  smouldering  but  ready  to 
break  forth  whenever  conditions  should  become  favorable. 
The  vanquished  government  sullenly  withdrew  to  Isle 
Royale,  and  there  set  up  its  imperium,  while  the  victor  took 
possession  of  its  prize,  which  it  was  not  long  permitted  tc 
enjoy  in  peace. 

England  had  succeeded  in  removing  to  a  distance  the 
governmental  machiner}^  by  which  France  had  exercised 
control  of  the  coded  territory,  but  not  of  the  ihstrumen- 


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talities  through  which  Rome  exercised  power  therein  ;  and 
she,  allied  to  France  by  a  common  interest, — the  desire  for 
dominion, — furnished  an  ever  ready  means  to  her  ally  to 
recoup  herself  as  far  as  possible  for  her  losses.  There  was 
peace  between  the  two  crowns,  so  far  as  ink  and  wax  went, 
but  no  farther,  lor  French  emissaries  at  once  began  to 
foment  trouble  by  inciting  the  savages  to  make  war  upon 
their  English  neighbor*  These  emissaries  were  Romifh 
priests,  whose  pernicious  efforts  not  only  caused  great  suf- 
fering and  loss  of  life  to  the  pioneer  settlers,  English  and 
French,  but  the  final  deportation  of  the  Acadians,  an  act 
which  has  been  held  up  to  the  world  as  one  of  unwaiTanta- 
ble  and  inexcusable  cruelty.  The  criticism  which  this  act 
has  received,  admitting  it  to  have  been  cruel,  is  a  distinct 
coitipliment  to  the  English.  Those  who  enjoy  a  reputation 
for  righteousness  are  alone  criticised  for  failing  to  conform 
strictly  to  righteous  standards.  France  has  ahnost  escaped 
censure  for  acts  far  exceeding  in  cruelty  the  deporta- 
tion of  the  Acadians,  although  she  did  not  have  the 
T/arrant  of  necessity  to  offer  in  defence  of  her  action, 
which  England  did.       ,. 

In  1689  the  French  monarch  gave  his  sanction  to  a  plot, 
which,  had  it  not  been  defeated  by  English  brawn,  would 
have  shocked  the  world  for  all  time.  This  plot,  carefully 
tormulated  at  Versailles,  was  to  make  an  initial  attack  upon 
Albany,  and  having  captured  that  place,  to  proceed  down 
the  Hudson  with  two  war  ships  to  attack  New  York  and 
force  its  surrender.  Once  in  possession  of  New  York,  tlie 
rooting  out  of  the  heretic  English  colonists  would  be  feasi- 
ble. Their  homes  were  to  be  broken  up,  and  they  scat- 
tered abroad.  Those  who  possessed  wealth  \\'ov;3  to  be 
imprisoned  until  they  were  willing  to  exchange  it  for  lib- 
erty. Artisans  wore  to  be  held  as  captives  and  forced  to 
abor  for  their  French  masters.  Subjects  of  Rome,  of 
course,  if  any  were  found  among  the  heretical  co'onists, 
were  to  be  exempt  from  these  hard  conditions,  and  were  to 


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be  protected  and  fostered.  This  diabolical  scheme,  involv- 
ing the  destruction  of  an  entire  people,  numbering  accord- 
ing to  statistics  over  seventeen  thousand  souls,  was  intrusted 
to  Frontenac  for  execution,  and  we  know  how  ardently  he 
entered  ui)on  his  task,  and  how  signally  he  failed  in  its 
accomplishment,  though  he  inflicted  suffering  and  death 
upon  many  English  colonists.  The  same  pitiless  spirit  waa  " 
exhibit«^d  in  the  laws  against  those  who  failed  to  bow  in 
unquestioning  obedience  to  Rome,  which  disrupte '.  fami- 
lies, and  sent  men  and  women,  "without  form  or  figure  of 
trial,"  to  the  galleys  or  prisons,  where  they  (juickly  suc- 
cumbed to  the  hardships  to  which  they  were  subjected. 

It  was  for  the  release  by  the  French  king  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  galley-slaves,  whose  only  offence  was  that 
tlieir  Christianity  was  not  Roman,  that  Queen  Anne,  shortly 
after  the  signing  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  in  return  for  the 
favor  which  she  liad  solicited,  granted  certain  privileges  to 
tho  Acadians  within  the  territory  which  she  had  acquired. 
The  indefensible  attitude  of  the  French  toward  Protestants 
must  be  fully  recognized  in  order  to  inter[>ret  correctly  the 
acttt  of  the  English  in  their  dealing?  with  the  problems  which 
they  encountered  after  assuming  rule  in  Acadia. 

Nicholson,  the  English  governor,  had  hardly  settled  his 
militaiy  family  in  the  new  territory,  when  Vaudreuil,  the 
governor  of  New  France,  wi-ote  to  the  French  minister  at 
Versailles,  quoting  from  Father  de  la  Chasse,  a  Romish  mis- 
sionary, that  "  tempoi-al  interest  serves  as  a  vehicle  of  faith  " 
with  the  savages,  and  that  a  war  between  them  and  the 
English  "  is  more  favorable  to  us  than  peace  "  ;  hence  "  tem- 
poral interest "  was  to  be  directed  to  this  end.  This  was 
the  key-note  to  French  policy,  and  from  that  moment,  as 
well  in  peace  as  in  war,  no  effort  was  spared  to  render  the 
tenare  of  the  English  precarious,  not  only  in  Acadia,  but 
elsewhere  in  America,  by  fomenting  trouble  between  them 
and  the  savages,  and  by  preventing  the  people  in  the  ceded 
ten-itory  from  rendering  allegiance  to  the  English  crown. 


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When  we  v^onsider  the  state  of  feeling  which  existed  in 
France  toward  Protestants,  who  were  i-egarded  as  beyond 
tlie  pale  of  mercy,  and  with  whom  it  was  not  deemed  neces- 
sary to  keep  faith,  we  cease  to  wonder  at  the  methods 
employed  by  French  missionaries,   reared  in  a  school  of 
intolerance,  the  intensity  of  which  we  can  in  this  age  hardly 
realize.     By  a  law  enacted  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  two 
years  after  the  date  of  tlu^  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  a  person  not 
accepting  in   his  last  illnegs  the  Roman  sacrament,   was 
regarded  as  a  relapsed  person,  whose  body  might  be  dragged 
through  the  streets  on  a  hurdle  and  "  consigned  as  the  refuse 
of  the  earth  to  the  filth  of  the  common  sewer,"  while  his 
property  was  subject  to  confiscation  by  the  State.     The 
penalty  for  preaching  Christianity  unsanctioned  by  Rome 
was  death,  and  the  children  of  Protestant  marriages  were 
declared  illegitimate.     The  men  who  were  educated  under 
such  laws,  and  who  believed  them  to  be  divinely  sanctioned, 
coidd  not  be  expected  to  hesitate  in  th(!  performance  of  anj' 
act  calculated  to  rid  the  land  of  heretics,  and  they  did  not 
do  so.     The'r  correspondence,  in  connection  with  that  of 
the  French  government,  fully  reveals  the  part  they  played 
during  the  period  of  forty-two  years,  which  constitutes  the 
histor}'^  of  Acadia  from  the  date  of  its  cession  to  the  Eng- 
lish in  April,  1713,  to  the  beginning  of  the  depoitation  of 
its  inhabitants  in  August,  1755. 

To  understand  the  subject  clearly,  we  should  first  take 
note  of  the  fact,  that  by  the  terms  of  the  Trea  y  the  Aca- 
dians  were  to  "have  libeity  to  remove  themselves  within 
one  year  to  any  other  place,  as  they  shall  think  fit,  with 
all  their  movable  effects " ;  but  Uiat  those  who  remaim  d 
and  became  British  subjects,  were  "  to  enjoy  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  I'eligion  according  to  the  usage  of  the  Church 
of  Rome,"  but  subject  to  British  law.  If  they  did  not 
depart  within  the  specified  time,  that  is,  before  the  close 
of  August,  1714,  they  forfeited  their  right  under  the 
Treaty  to  depart.     Were  they  prevented  during  this  period 


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from  departing?     It  would  appear  that  they  took  steps 
immediately  to  ascertain  what  aid  they  would  receive  from 
the  French  government  if  they  removed  to  Isle  Royalo, 
and  that  they  were  not  satisfied  with  the  terms  offered ; 
that  the  nature  of  the  soil  was  such  as  to  disincline  them 
to  leave  their  old  homes.     This  caused  delay.     Finally, 
however,  land  was  offered  them  on  Prince  Edward  Island, 
which  was  more  acceptable,  and  they  applied  for  leave  to 
remove  there,  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Vetch,  who  was  in 
command  at  Port  Royal  during  the  absence  of  Nicholson, 
who  was  soon  expected  to  return,  and  Vetch  referred  the 
matter  to  his  superior's  decision.     Nicholson  returned  some 
weeks  before  the  expiration  of  the  year,  and  was  met  by 
agents  of  the  French  Government,  who  asked,  as  it  was 
then  too  late  in  th^  season  for  the  Acadians  to  establish 
themselves  in  the  new  territory,  to  extend  the  time  of  their 
removal  a  year  longer,  and  to  permit  them  to  construct 
vessels  for  the  transportation  of  their  effects,  and  to  receive 
the  outfit  they  would   require   from   France.     Nicholson 
properly  referred  this  proposal,  as  it  involved  a  question 
of  commercial  privilege,  to  the  queen,   who  died  before 
receivinff  it,  and  the  matter  failed  to  be  acted  upon.     It 
would  appear  that  Nicholson,  who  was  governor  for  four 
years,  as  well  as  his  subordinates,  viewed  with  alarm  the 
entire   abandonment   of  the  country  by  the  inhabitants, 
and  that  they  were  not  disposed  to  aid  them  at  all  in  the 
project ;  nay,  that  they  were  inclined  to  throw  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  its  accomplishment,  as  it  would  leave  the  coun- 
try bare  of  producers,  and  render  still  more  insecure  their 
position  in  the  country,  unsatisfactory  enough  at  the  best. 
That  they  did  not  exhibit  a  more  self-sacrificing  spirit, 
and  without  regard  to  their  own  welfare  did  not  aid  the 
emissaries  of  France  in  their  efforts  to  get  their  credulous 
dependents  ou*^  of  the  country,  so  that  no  suspicion  of  non- 
compliance with  the  exact  spirit  of  the  treaty  on  the  part 
of  any  Biidsh  ofiicer  could  possibly  be  entertiined  by  a 


:^-^'^'?;.'--'-i^iiJi^':':''t'- 


-    mm.  iiiiiiiiiiwHfwiwiPMwwiiw 


'owssns^u*. 


i'i 


9  .■-     " 

niodei-n  critic,  is  doubtless  to  be  regretted ;  yet,  when  we 
consider  the  wily,  treacheroiH  and  pitiless  foes  against 
whom  the  English  were  struggling,  as  well  as  the  moral 
code  existing  at  the  time,  we  may  well  hesitate  to  judgo 
them  by  the  more  finely  adjusted  standards  of  today. 

The  question  of  the  removal  of  the  Acadians  by  the 
terms  of  the  treaty  to  French  territory  being  practically 
settled,  although  some  of  them  departed  from  time  to  time 
and  joined  their  fellow-countrymen  at  Isle  Royale  and 
elsewhere,  the  question  of  their  status  under  the  English 
goveniment  is  to  be  considered.  To  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses, by  not  removing  from  the  country  within  the  period 
specified  in  the  treaty  for  removal,  no  matter  what  influ- 
ences prevailed  to  prevent  them  from  so  doing,  they  be- 
came the  subjects  of  Great  Britain  and  amenable  to  her 
laws;  indeed,  everything  shows  that  they  so  regarded 
themselves,  thougli  they  refused  to  take  the  regular  oath 
of  allegiance,  except  with  the  reservation  that  they  should 
not  be  called  upon  to  bear  arms.  We  may  regard  them, 
therefore,  as  Britisn  subjects,  in  the  sense  that  they  were 
subject  to  her  law  and  entitled  to  her  protection,  and 
were  bound  in  good  faith  not  to  aid  or  abet  her  enemies. 

It  would  seem  from  the  testimony  which  we  possess, 
that  they  were  a  peaceable  people,  densely  ignorant  and 
superstitious,  as  the  habitans  of  Canada  are  today,  though 
we  may  properly  infer  much  more  so,  as  the  latter  have 
for  a  long  time  been  more  or  less  in  contact  with  educa- 
tional influences.  They  were  precisely  the  kind  of  people 
to  make  the  best  Roman  subjects,  and  Avere  so  regarded 
by  their  old  rulers,  who  were  bound  to  use  them  to  the 
extent  of  their  power  against  those  under  whose  sway  they 
had  come.  Their  misfortune  was  in  listening  to  the  emis- 
saries sent  among  them  by  their  former  masters,  and  refus- 
ing to  win  the  confidence  of  the  government  under  which 
they  were  living,  by  frankly  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance 
tb  it. 


t,, 


J! 

m 


10 


As  before  said,  although  Franco  and  England  were  at 
I)eace,  efforts  to  render  the  position  of  the  English  insecure 
were  begun  very  soon  after  the  cession  of  Acadia  to  them. 
On  July  10th,  1715.,  the  King  wrote  to  Ramesay  and 
Beiron,  that  he  heard  with  satisfaction  of  the  work  of  the 
missionaries  among  the  savages,  and  that  "  as  it  is  impor- 
tant to  preserve  them  in  the  interests  of  the  King,  his 
Majesty  desires  that  the  Sieurs  do  Ramesay  and  Begon 
should  incite  these  missionaries  to  redouble  their  efforts 
to  that  end,  and  to  enciuire  if  it  may  not  be  projjor  to 
attract  them  by  new  benefits  and  destroy  in  the  English 
all  hope  of  drawing  them  to  their  interests." 

On  December  24,  1715,  the  French  minister  wrote  to 
Bcauharnois  from  Versailles,  "  Since  I  have  learned.  Sir, 
of  the  loss  that  you  have  made  of  Acadia,  T  think  contin- 
ually of  the  means  whereby  this  important  post  may  be 
recovered  before  the  English  are  firmly  established  th'3re." 
The  intrigues  of  the  missionaries  resulted  in  inflamirg  the 
savages  with  hate  of  the  heretic  English,  and  on  September 
(ith  following,  Vaudreuil  had  the  satisfaction  of  Avriting  to 
the  French  minister,  that  "the  Abnakis,  the  past  year, 
1715,  have  taken  from  the  English  more  than  twenty 
fishing  vessels,"  and  that  he  had  promised  to  build  them  a 
church.  He  also  said  thf.i  one  of  his  principal  efforts  had 
boon  "  to  maintain  peace  with  the  savages  and  to  hinder 
them  as  much  as  possible  from  going  to  the  English  to 
traflSc."  This  could  only  be  done  by  making  them  pres- 
ents every  year,  and  ho  hoped  *'  that  his  majesty  will  be 
willing  to  send  this  year  to  Canada  thirty  thousand  livres 
of  presents  for  the  savages,  and  to  continue  to  send  every 
year  those  that  it  is  customary  to  give  them."  He  sug- 
gested that  "thiity  thousand  weight  of  powder,  sixty 
thousand  of  lead  and  six  hundred  hunting  guns  "  be  sent. 
"  The  latter  are  known  to  the  savages  who  want  no  others 
but  those  of  Tulle."  They  use  "from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  thousand  weight  of  powder  annually."    In  his  report 


HMWk 


to  the  government  the  14th  of  the  following  month  he 
remarked  that  "the  Abnakis,  Micmacs  and  Malecitcs,  and 
others  in  the  missions  of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  Rale  and 
Tioyard,  remain  on  the  sea  coast,  but  thoy  declare  that . 
upon  the  slightest  rupture,  they  will  be  on  the  side  of  the 
French."  The  correspondence  of  the  periled  reveals  un- 
ceasing efforts  on  the  part  of  the  French  to  influence  the 
savages  against  the  English, 

On  October  29th,  1720,  father  Charlevoix  sent  a  memoir 
to  the  Duke  of  Orkans  explaining  the  situation  of  affairs 
which  had  been  brought  about  between  the  savages  and 
the  Euglish.  Several  savage  chiefs  appeared  before  Vau-  " 
dreuil  and  enquired  if  he  would  openly  help  them  against 
the  English.  "I  will  engage,"  said  the  wily  Frenchman, 
"the  other  savage  nations  to  assist  you."  At  these  words 
they  replied,  with  a  mocking  laugh,  "  Know  that  we  and 
all  the  nations  of  this  great  continent  whenever  we  wish 
will  unite  to  drive  out  all  strangers,  Avhoever  they  may  be." 
Vaudreuil,  surprised,  and  realizing  that  they  nuxst  be 
appeased,  exclaimed  dramatically,  "  that  rather  than  aban- 
don them  to  the  mercy  of  the  English  he  would  march 
himself  to  their  relief."  Continuing,  Charlevoix  compla- 
cently says,  "  Monsieur  Vaudreuil  aflii-ms  that  he  has  a 
trusted  man  among  the  savages  of  Norridgewock,  who  is 
wholly  devoted  to  him,  and  by  whose  means,  he  will  make 
the  others  do  all  that  he  may  wish.  Those  who  know  the 
savages  better  arc  convinced  that  he  should  not  trust  to 
this.  Monsieur  Begon,  on  the  other  hand,  is  of  the 
opinion  that  it  is  necessary  that  some  rattle  brain  of  a 
savage  should  strike  the  English  a  blow  that  leads  to  war." 

The  efforts  of  the  French  to  arouse  the  enmity  of  the 
savages  against  them  soon  became  known  to  the  English. 
Not  only  Avas  the  garrison  which  held  Port  Royal,  the 
gateway  of  Acadia,  constantly  menaced  by  the  savages, 
but  the  settlements  in  New  England  were  scourged  by 
them.     The  French  supplied  them  with  guns  and  ammuni- 


tion,  and  instriu^ted  them  that  the  land  was  theirs,  and 
that  they  Hhould  drive  out  the  Enjjlish  intruders.  Frenc^h 
ottifors  disf^uised  as  savages  led  them  in  their  reprisals 
upon  the  settUu's.  Wiiile  VaiKu'uil  and  his  associates  were 
writing  polite  letters  to  the  English  authorities,  they  were 
urfrinjr  their  emissaries  to  inflame  the  savages  against  them. 
On  March  13,  1721,  letters  from  Vaudreuil  and  Begon, 
addresstnl  to  Hale,  the  French  governor's  "  trusted  man  " 
at  Norridgewock,  having  been  captured  by  the  English, 
Governor  Shute  addressed  the  Lords  of  Trade  as  follows  : 

"  My  I^ords  : 

"In  my  liOtter  of  the  13th  December  last  to  the  Rt  Honble 
Board,  f  to -ke  the  liberty  to  hint  to  your  Lordships  that  I 
had  good  reason  to  Suspect  that  Mons'r  Vaudreuil,  the 
Governor  of  Canada  did  Underhand  stir  up  my  Neighbor- 
ing Indians  to  Maletreat  His  Majesty's  liege  Subjects. 

"  The  Inclosed  Letters  will  give  plain  Demonstration  that 
my  Suspicions  were  well  Grounded.  I  have  only  sent  your 
Lordships  well  attested  ('opys,  not  daring  to  send  the  origi- 
nals, and  run  the  riscjue  of  the  Sea  without  direct  Orders 
from  home  so  to  do. 

"  I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  remarke  to  Your  Lordships, 
that  these  Letters  were  found  in  Mons'r  Rale's  House,  a 
ffrench  Jesaite  who  constantly  resides  among  my  Neigh- 
boring Indians  &  is  Useing  his  Utmost  Indeavours  to  En- 
gage them  in  a  War  against  the  English 

The  Indians  have  lately  killed  some  of  our  Cattle  &  threat<^n 
our  Eastern  Settlements,  So  that  I  am  Under  some  Appre- 
hension that  a  War  will  break  out  this  Summer  (which  I 
will  Indeavour  if  possible  to  prevent)  Except  some  Meas- 
ures be  taken  to  oblige  the  ffrench  Government  at  Canada 
to  Act  Strictly  up  to  the  Stipulations  agreed  to  betwixt  the 
Crowns  of  Great  Brittain  &  France." 

The  following  day  he  addressed  a  forcible  and  manly 
letter  to  Vaudreuil,  informing  him  of  the  letters  in  his  pos- 
session, and  appealing  to  him  to  desist  from  his  treacherous 
and  cruel  proceedings.  He  did  not  do  this,  however,  and 
the  result  was  an  Indian  war,  with  all  its  attendant  cruel- 


■nr 


13 

ties  ;  a  wav  for  which  the  oniiHsaries  of  Fi-anc(s  in  the  livery 
of  Rome,  were  wholly  responsible. 

While  the  French  wore  thus  lahorinfr  to  kee;)  .iiive  the 
fires  of  war  between  the  savages  and  their  Enj^lish  neigh- 
bors, they  were  not  idle  in  Acadia.  They  fully  realized 
the  advantages  which  they  possessed  in  having  a  people 
occupying  English  territory  who  were  bound  to  thera  by 
ties  of  blood  and  sympathy.  Every  effort  was  made  by 
the  priests  who  were  sent  among  these  "  neutrals,"  as  they 
were  called,  to  hold  them  to  the  interests  of  France,  and  to 
prevent  them  from  becoming  anything  more  than  nominal 
subjects  of  Great  Britain. 

In  1715  Lieutenant-Governor  Caulfield  commanded  in 
Acadia.  As  the  time  for  the  departure  of  the  inhabitants, 
under  the  treaty,  had  expired,  steps  were  taken  to  admin- 
ister the  oath  of  allegiance  to  those  remaining,  but  without 
success.  The  inhabitants  of  Mines  and  Beaubassin  flatly 
refused  to  take  the  oath,  giving  as  an  excuse  that  they  "  had 
made  enffasfement  to  return  under  the  rule  of  the  King  of 
France."  At  Port  Royal,  however,  they  offered  to  take  an 
oath  to  maintain  allegiance  to  Great  Britain  while  they 
remained  in  the  country,  provided  they  should  be  permitted 
to  depart  at  any  time  without  hindrance. 

At  this  time  Pere  Gaulin  was  acting  as  missionary  at 
Port  Royal.  Through  his  hands  passed  the  presents  to  the 
savages,  and  by  his  advice  the  Acadians  acted.  He  was 
intensely  inimical  to  the  English,  and  ready  to  do  anything 
to  cause  them  discomfort.  He  had,  before  the  peace,  which 
resulted  in  the  cession  of  Acadia  to  the  English,  gathered 
a  tionsiderable  body  of  men  against  them  before  Annapolis 
Royal,  to  which  he  laid  unsuccessful  siege.  He  was  a  man 
full  of  resources,  and  unscrupulous,  if  we  may  believe  the 
French  governor  of  Louisbourg,  who  rendered  him  sub- 
stantial aid  on  that  occasion.  Such  a  man  was  bound  to 
prevent  the  people,  if  possible,  from  becoming  loyal  sub- 
jects to  a  nation  against  whom  he  was  hostile  to  the  core,. 


a;«#Ha«?a«ii*«S"- 


'_'-  '-•  ■,'<" ' 


14 


■ 


He  had  taiijrlit  the  savajreH  "  to  nsnert  their  native  ritjhta  " 
to  the  coded  territory,  and  he  wa,s  equally  ready  to  tea(!h 
the  Acadian  French  to  refuse  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  Great  Britain,  which  it  was  necessary  that  they  shoidd 
take,  if  they  expected  to  enjoy  her  confidence  and  protec- 
tion. Five  years  after  Lieutenant.-(TOVern()r  Caulfield's 
attempt  to  make  them  take  this  oath,  (General  Phillips  made 
another  attempt,  and  we  find  PSro  Gaulin  acting  on  the 
occasion  as  their  spokesman.  Ilis  majesty,  he  said,  was 
very  good  to  interest  himself  in  their  affairs,  hut  that  the 
proposal  meant  nothing  less  than  a  violation  of  their  oath 
l)('foro  Governor  Nicholson,  and  that  the}'  wished  to  remain 
faithful  to  their  word  without  changing  anything,  because 
if  they  modified  its  terms,  \v  would  expose  them  to  the 
resentment  and  vengeance  of  the  savages.  This  subterfuge, 
for  it  was  nothing  less,  was  understood  by  the  English,  as 
api)ears  by  the  miimtes  of  the  Council,  September  27th, 
1720— 

"That  the  French  inhabitants  do  persist  in  refusing  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain, 
and  look  upon  themselves  as  the  indispensable  liege  sub- 
jects of  France,  by  the  engagement  they  have  laid  them- 
selves under,  and  from  which  their  Priests  t«ll  them  they 
cannot  be  absolved.  .  .  .  That  these  inhabitants  and 
the  Indians  are  entirely  influenced  and  guided  by  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Cape  Breton,  and  the  missionary  Priests  resid- 
ing among  them." 

This  condition  of  affairs  caused  the  Lords  Commissioners 
for  Trade  and  Plantations  to  address  a  memorial  to  the 
King,  in  which  the}'  said  that  the  Acadians,  who  have 
remained  in  the  province  since  the  cession,  "are  entirely  in 
the  French  interest,  and  by  their  communication  and  inter- 
marriages with  the  neighbouring  Indians,  have  gained  them 
to  their  party ;  whereby  they  are  enabled  upon  any  occa- 
sion to  engage  the  said  Indians  in  a  war  against  your 
Majesty's  subjects — that  the  little  trade  derived  in  this 
country  at  present  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  these  French 


'M'' 


k^. 


-**<*'t^ »it WaB,-fe«g^'»|#.i m,f,..iB. . ,^^_.'JJtl.ri^JkMlii  ifcSiiniw^ 


ii%v-»**^it-i-,'i-'»v 


■voifpfn 


mm 


n--,^im'mmm 


15 


•t 


iiihabitantH — For  which  reaHon,  aw  well  as  many  others,  it 
is  absohitely  necessary  for  your  Majesty's  Service  that 
these  French  inhabitants  should  be  removed."  This  was  in 
1721,  and  is  the  key-note  of  the  movement,  which  resulted 
in  the  deportation  of  this  unhappy  people  more  than  thirty 
years  later. 

It  is  plain  that  this  deportation  was  no  liasty  affair,  and 
that  it  mi^ht  have  been  averted  at  any  time,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  cruel  policy  of  the  missionaries,  which  prevented 
the  Acadians  from  taking  the  (  nly  step  possible  to  avert  it. 
One  of  the  most  active  of  these  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Acadians,  was  Pere  Gaulin  ;  "that  old,  mischievous  incen- 
diary,"   as  he  was  denominated  by  Lieutenant-Governor 
Doucett.     In  one  of   Doucett's   reports  to  the  Lords  of 
Trade,  he  says  that  "  a  good  deal  of  plunder  "  taken  from 
the  English  in  1722,  was  in  his  chapel,  "  when  he  was  there 
to  say  mass  to  the  Indians."     On  another  occasion,  says 
Mas'^arene,   he  received  the   ransom  of   English   soldiers 
captured  by  his  savages,  and  it  is  recorded  of  him  in  mem- 
oranda of  thfl  French  Council,  that  he  was  "a1»raveman 
and  capable  of  organizing  and  even  conducting  "  the  savages 
"on  an  expedition."     In  the  same  document  it  is  recom- 
mended that  instead  of  "  300  livres  "  which  he  was  receiv- 
ing, he  "  naight  be  granted  500  livres  on  the  Staff."     In 
1727,  Louis  XV.,  having  received  an  erroneous  report  that 
Gaulin  had  advised  the  savages  to  make  peace   with  the 
English,  informed  St.  Ovide  of  the  report,  and  ordered 
him  to  continue  to  "encourage  hostilities."     To  this  St. 
Ovide  replied  that  "  so  far  from  M.  Gaulin  and  the  other 
missionaries  having  prevailed  upon  the  Indians  to  do  so, 
that  they  had,  on  the  contrary,  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
the  English  for  having  incited  the  Indians  to  continue  the 
war."     Another  of  these  missionaries  was  St.  Poncy,  wht), 
if  we  may  l)elieve  the  report  of  Pere  Maillard  to  his  supe- 
rior, "  adroitly  intercepted "  letters  of  the  English  Gover- 
nor, which  fact,  he  says,  "  has  been  reported  to  us  by  those 


.■■S««*«WW«ii«;?i^rei'^-«S«*'T»WStBft«MrrrS*W*S 


<^ 


u 


\ 


f 


who  wore  charf^Oi'i  with  the  «'()nvovBiu'e  of  those  letters." 
Of  Le  Loiitre,  mo  much  Iihh  ah'eiidy  been  written,  tliat  it  iH 
uniU'cesMarv  to  (h'taii  the  ciireer  of  thin  rorttleHH  ph)tter  of 
niischiof,  tiH  it  is  of  others  who  were  oiijj^afred  in  tlie  Huine 
l)UHiiie.sH.  A  Min<;le  inHtance  of  his  cruelty  we  may  he  par- 
doned for  <|Uotin^.  Says  Knox,  wiio  was  his  c(>nt"!ni|)o- 
rary,  "  h((  U'ft  a  most  renmrliahie  <'imracter  l>ohind  iiim  in 
Nova  Seotia  for  iniuunanity,  insonuu-li  tliat  a  Hontinel  who 
had  l)een  placed  over  l..m  (and  had  formerly  the  misfor- 
tune, when  in  a  regiment  stationed  in  that  c(,untry,  of  being 
his  prisoner,  and  was  miraculously  preserved  from  being 
scalped  alivo,  to  which  cruel  fate  he  had  been  doomed  by 
this  same  Priest,  who  marked  him  with  a  knife  round  the 
forehead  and  pole  in  order  to  strij)  off  the  entire  scalp) 
and,  recollecting  his  face,  unfixed  his  bayonet,  with  an 
intent,  as  he  undauntedly  confessed,  to  put  him  to  death, 
had  ho  not  boeii  with  the  greatest  difKculty  prevented  from 
executing  what  he  called  a  just  vengeance  on  him.  The 
soldier's  resentment  was  so  great,  and  he  appearing  before 
the  Commander-in-(yhief  so  determined,  that  it  was  thought 
necessary  to  remove  him  to  England,  and  exchange  him 
into  another  corps." 

These  men  continued  their  work  incessantly  during  the 
long  peace  which  existed  between  France  and  England  from 
1713  to  1744,  when  the  two  nations  again  came  into  con- 
flict. Mascarene,  who  has  been  greatly  extolled  for  his 
kind  and  wise  government  of  Acadia,  had  been  in  command 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  so  continued  through  the  war, 
which  terminated  in  1748.  It  has  been  attemjjted  to  show 
that  Mascarene  always  regarded  the  Acadians  as  loyal  and 
obedient  subjects  of  Great  Britain.  Such,  however,  was 
not  the  case.  Early  in  his  experience  with  them  he  says, 
"The  French  who,  like  any  new  conquered  people,  were 
glad  to  flatter  themselves  with  the  hope  of  recovering  what 
they  had  lost,  saw  with  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  our  moat 
walls  every  day  tumbling  down,  our  hospitals  filling  with 


I 


i.^ 


<Ww  H'r^*i<a'IW'fe!fci*Hn*lfcayiMli/^»H^i<»a.'Vfc*-t^'" 


17 


,-  li 


HU'k  Holdiors, — atwl  thought  no  douht  no  less  than  to  oblige 
us  to  rolimniisli  tlio  fort  und  to  fall  iindor  tluMf  national 
{^ovorninciit  a^ain.  About  tliis  tiinn  tlicv  dispatcli't  almost 
unknown  to  us  thr  'priest'  from  Manis  to  Canada  with  an 
account  as  may  be  suppostul  of  all  this."  Later,  he  says, 
after  the  garrison  had  sustained  a  loss,  "The  Fren<'h  after 
this  chtui<;ed  their  coiuitenance  at  once,  and  of  humble  and 
in  appearance  obedient,  turn'd  haughty  and  imperious,  and 
threatened  no  less  than  to  take  us  by  assault  and  put  every 
one  of  us  '  to  the  edge  of  the  sword.'  "  And  to  show  how 
he  regarded  the  situation  at  the  close  of  the  war  in  174^!, 
when  ho  n^tired  from  his  office,  the  following  exti-at^ts  are 
made  from  his  report : 

"  It  lias  appeared  very  plain  to  all  on  this  side,  tliat  if  the 
French  when  at  Lewisbourg,  had  carried  their  point  and 
raaster'd  this  Province,  the  addition  of  strength  they  would 
have  ac(|uired  in  gaining  four  or  five  thousand  French  In- 
habitants able  to  carry  arms,  join'd  to  the  seveml  Tribes  of 
Indiaris,  who  to  a  man  are  all  at  their  Devotion,  and  a 
Country  able  to  supply  them  with  Pi-ovisions,  they  would 
in  Icf.s  than  a  year  have  overnui  the  (governments  of  New 
England.  Those  from  Canada  have  since  the  taking  of 
Lewisbourg,  made  two  or  three  attempts  in  expectation  of 
ships  and  Troops  from  France,  to  carry  on  the  same  scheme 
in  which  they  have  been  disappointed.  The  cessation  of 
arms,  and  the  Peace  like  to  ensue  will  for  the  present  put 
an  end  to  their  projects,  but  as  they  are  to  have  Lewisbourg 
restored  to  them,  a  few  years  will  put  them  in  the  same 
Posture  they  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  War,  and  if  an- 
other occasion  offers,  they  may  renew  their  Projects,  and 
by  the  experience  they  have  had  from  their  former  miscar- 
t-iages,  they  will  take  better  measures  to  render  them  more 
successful.  .  .  .  From  whence  it  appears  how  neces- 
sary it  is  to  put  this  Province  on  a  better  Foot  than  it  has 
been  or  is  at  present.  One  of  the  greatest  inconveniences 
it  labours  under  is  in  having  a  large  number  of  Inhabitants, 
who  cannot  be  reckon'd  to  be  attach'd  to  the  British  InttT- 
est ;  and  though  they  have  been  kept  from  joining  the  Ene- 
my in  Arms,  it  cannot  bt  depended  upon  but  that  tliey  may 


;'.!«- 


/;'i 


^ 


.^f«:>^;^;^i)s<t^ti>i.'i[tKf»f!m,¥mati!f 


18 


do  so  at  some  other  time.  The  difficulty  of  removing  them 
has  been  represented  in  the  Letter  addressed  to  Governor 
Shirley  the  7th  Dec'r  1745,  and  which  I  had  the  honour  to 
transmit  to  your  Lordships,  and  to  which  I  humbly  refer. 
To  counterballancQ  the  Deadweight  of  these  Freiu^h  Inhabit- 
ants, a  Number  of  British  Family s  might  be  settled  on  the 
Eastern  Coast  of  this  Peninsula." 

Even  the  kind  and  benevolent  Mascarene  had  considered 
the  (luestion  of  deportation  ten  years  before  it  was  begun, 
and  when  he  had  ended  with  them,  had  no  confidence  in 
their  fidelity,  although  he  Imd  been  able  to  keep  them  from 
open  acts  of  disloyalty.  He  was  evidently  so  well  pleased 
with  his  success  in  this  regard,  that,  whenever  possible,  he 
took  occasion  to  report  that  they  were  submissive  and 
peaceable.  The  correspondence  of  the  period,  French  and 
English,  reveals  without  a  shadow  of  doubt  how  the  French 
"  Neutrals,"  so  called,  were  regarded  by  both  peoples,  and 
it  is  idle  to  ignore  their  opinion.  Vaudreuil  on  November 
10,  1720,  wrote  "that  the  French  at  Port  Royal  were  well 
disposed  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  the  English,"  and  we 
have  seen  bow  Mascarene  regarded  them. 

Says  Secretary  Sherriff  in  March,  1745,  "We  are  in 
Danger  not  only  from  Old  France,  but  even  from  that  our 
Neighbouring  Province,  if  our  Inhabitants  are  not  re- 
moved." 

Says  Shirley  May  10,  174(5.  "I  am  persuaded  nothing 
has  hinder'd  the  Acadians  from  taking  up  Anns  against  his 
Majesty's  Garrison  at  Anna{)olis,  but  the  Terror  which  the 
frequent  Visits  of  the  arm'd  Vessels  and  Succours  sent  from 
this  Place — struck  'em  with." 

Similar  quotations  might  be  almost  indefinitely  multi- 
plied, but  these  are  perhaps  sufficient.  The  question  is 
pressed,  as  though  it  established  the  status  of  the  loyalty 
of  the  Acadians  to  Great  Britain,  why  did  they  not  join 
tlie  French  expeditions  sent  among  them  to  expel  the 
English  ?    The  answer  is  not  far  to  seek ;  Shirley  in  fact 


r-'X-'aJg^SsBiMW^-'fe^'dtelihwiw  ^ 


mam 


tlijjiJiiiWijiilWjJWliiniiPrffiiWi 


m^ifw  iwiwiiwyjMpwBii 


III.O  auHweied  it.  They  did  not  dare  to.  The  French  had 
abandoned  them  once  to  the  English,  and  they  distrusted 
their  po\yer  to  protect  them,  while  they  had  a  wholesome 
respect  for  English  push  and  tenacity.  Of  the  feeling 
among  the  conquered  people  against  the  English,  Knox 
gives  us  a  glimpse.  He  says,  "  Though  the  better  sort  of 
them  generally  behaved  with  tolerable  decency,  yet  the 
poorer  sort — ^l^eing  employed  as  servants  and  workmen — 
took  frequent  occasions  (which,  however,  nevar  passed 
unpunished)  of  being  impertinent  in  displaying  the  fruits 
of  the  good  education  they  had  received,  for,  in  driving  a 
team  of  oxen,  if  an  Officer  or  other  British  subject  passed 
them  on  the  street  or  road,  they  instantly  called  out  to 
their  cattle,  by  names  of  Luther,  Caivin,  Cronmer  (mean- 
ing Cranmer)  &c.,  and  then  laid  most  unmercifully  on  the 
poor  beasts  with  their  whips  or  clubs,  as  if  they  had  in 
reality  got  those  eminent  men  under  their  hands." 

In  1748  the  war  between  France  and  England,  which 
had  lasted  for  four  years,  came  to  a  close,  and  a  treaty 
was  signed  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  by  which  Louisbourg  and 
other  territory  captured  by  the  English  in  the  war  were 
restored  to  France.  This  was  a  grave  mistake  on  the 
part  of  England,  and  caused  much  irritation  in  New  Eng- 
land, whose  frontier  settlements  had  grievously  suffered 
from  the  savages,  who  had  been  instigated  to  make  war 
upon  them  by  French  emissaries ;  indeed,  the  people  of 
New  England  never  forgave  England  for  restoring  to  their 
inveterate  enemy  the  strongly  fortified  city,  considered 
almost  impregnable,  which  had  bee  i  forced  to  yield  to  the 
valor  of  their  troops. 

Acadia  remained,  as  it  had  for  thirty-six  years,  a  province 
of  Great  Britain,  but  its  boundaries  were  still  sufficiently 
undefined  to  give  rise  to  conflicting  claims  by  both  English 
and  French.  To  offset  the  power  of  her  rival,  the  seat  of 
whose  power  was  Louisbourg,  England  founded  Halifax 
and  planted  there,  in  the  summer  of  1749,  a  colony  of 


t 

! 

1 


20 


about  three  thousand  persons,  well  equipped  in  all  that 
was  necessary  for  the  establishment  of  a  stable  govern- 
ment. 

Governor  Corn wallis,  who  had  succeeded  Masearene,  de- 
termined to  exact  from  the  Acadians  the  oath  of  allegiance 
which  tliey  had  so  long  refused  to  take,  and  he  immedi- 
ately issued  a  proclamation  commanding  the  people  to 
apj>ear  within  a  given  time  and  take  the  oath.  This  they 
refused  to  do,  and  declared  that  rather  than  take  it  they 
would  leave  the  country.  This  reply  greatly  irritated 
Cornwallis,  and  he  dismissed  them  with  harsh  words. 
From  this  time  the  secret  hostility  which  had  always 
existed  between  the  English  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
Acadians  and  savages  on  the  other,  continued  to  increase, 
and  fre(iuently  displayed  itself  in  acts  of  violence.  The 
Abbe  Le  Loutre,  who  has  already  been  mentioned,  proved 
to  be  a  terrible  foe  to  the  English,  and  fomented  trouble 
to  the  extent  of  his  ability. 

In  1752  Cornwallis  was  succeeded  by  General  Hopson, 
who  evidently  exerted  himself  to  establish  peace  among 
the  discordant  elements  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 
The  liberal  policy  of  Hopson  had  its  effect,  and  some  of 
the  Acadians  who  had  left  the  country  petitioned  to  be 
allowed  to  return,  but  stated  in  their  petition  that  they 
could  not  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  alleging  the  old 
excuse  that  their  refusal  to  do  so  was  caused  by  fear  of  the 
savages.  Just  how  far  this  excuse  was  really  true  is 
questionable  ;  it  certainly  served  its  purpose  for  a  time. 

Unfortunately,  perhaps,  for  the  Acadians,  Hopson's 
mild  rule  came  to  an  end  in  1753,  and  Lawrence,  a  man  of 
a  different  type,  succeeded  to  the  government.  Lawrence 
was  an  active,  energetic  man,  a  good  soldier,  and  one  who 
believed  in  obedience  to  authority.  Alluding,  just  after 
his  assumption  of  office,  to  the  status  before  the  courts  of 
the  Acadians,  he  says  :  "The  French  emissaries  still  con- 
tinue to  perplex  tliem  with  difficulties  about  their  taking 


KiiKajMtufci  I  jitmiTrif''.'- 


w 


the  oath  of  allegiance."     He  was  determined,  however,  to 
bring  the  unsatisfactory  relations  which  had  so  long  existed 
l)etween   them  and  the  government  to  an  end.     He  was 
satisfied  that  the  only  way  for  England  ever  to  hold  her 
possessions  secui-ely  was  to  colonize  the  country  with  her 
own  people,  and  to  make  the  French  inhabitants  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  or  displace  them.      He  was  a  soldier, 
and  fully  realized  the  danger  of  sending  these  people  to 
swell  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.     On  August  1st,  1754,  he 
Avrote  the  Lords  of  Trade,  setting  forth  the  condition  of 
affairs,  and  in  this  letter,  speaking  of  the  Acadians,  de- 
clares it  as  his  opinion,  "  that  it  would  be  much  better,  if 
they  refuse  the  oath,   that  they  were  away."      Can   we 
wonder  at  this  opinion  ?     For  more  than  forty  years  they 
had  baffled  the  attempts  of  the  English  governors  to  make 
of  them  loyal  subjects.     The  situation  was  one  full  of 
perplexities.     War  was  likely  to  break  out  at  any  time 
between   France   and   England,  and   here   was  a  rapidly 
increasing  population,  which  even  if  it  were  not  an  active 
ally  of  the  enemy,  would  at  least  be,  as  Mascarene  de- 
clared it  to  be,  "  a  dead  weight "  to  the  goverinnent.     At  a 
council  held  at  Halifax,  Jul;    3rd,  1755,  the  final  test  of 
loyalty  was  placed  before  the  deputies  who  represented  the 
Acadians.     They  were  asked  to  show  the  proof  of  their 
fidelity    to   the   government,    which   they    had    affirmed, 
by  taking  the  oath   of   allegiance.      This   they  declined 
to  do.     They   were  informed  that  for   "Six  Years  pwst 
the    same    thing    had    been    often    proposed    to    them, 
and   had   been   as    often    evaded    under    various    frivol- 
ous   pretences,    that     they     had    often    been    inforaied 
that    some    time    or    other    it    would     be    required     of 
them  and  must  be  done,  and  that  the  Council  did  not 
doubt  that  they  knew  the  Sentiments  of  the  Inhabitants  in 
«reneral,  and  had   fully   considered   and   determined   this 
point  with  regard  to  themselves  before  now,  as  they  had 
already  been  indulged  with  six  Years  to  form  a  Resolution 


<f^ 


f 


.isiisast 


T 


22 


thereon."  Their  request  to  return  home  and  consult  theii 
constituents  further  on  the  subject  was  refused,  and  thej 
were  told  that  they  must  now  finally  decide  whether  they 
would  or  would  not  take  the  oath.  They  again  refused, 
and  were  allowed  until  the  next  morning  to  form  a  final 
resolution.  On  the  next  morning  they  appeared  before 
the  Council,  and  upon  their  refusal  to  take  the  oath,  were 
informed  •^hat  they  were  no  longer  British  subjects,  and 
would  be  treated  as  subjects  of  France.  Orders  were 
given  to  direct  the  Acadians  to  send  new  deputies  in  their 
behalf  with  "regard  to  Taking  the  Oath,  and  that  none  of 
them  should  for  the  future  be  admitted  to  Take  it  after 
having  once  refused  to."  The  deputies  who  had  already 
refused  to  take  the  oath  here  relented  and  offered  to  take 
it,  but  were  refused  the  privilege.  Tji  spite  of  this,  on  the 
25th  of  July  the  new  deputies  appeared  before  the  Council 
at  Halifax,  bringing  the  final  answer  of  the  inhabitants, 
that  they  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  though 
they  declared  their  fidelity  to  Great  Britain.  This  final 
refusal  decided  their  fate,  and  Lawrence,  on  the  11th  of 
August,  wrote  to  the  other  governors  in  America,  detailing 
what  he  had  done  and  proposed  to  do.  In  this  letter  he 
states  that  they  had  unanimously  refused  to  take  the  oath, 
and  he  asks  "  if  they  wou'd  presume  to  do  this  when  there 
is  a  large  Fleet  of  Ships  of  War  in  the  Harbour  and  a  con- 
siderable land  force  in  the  Province,  what  might  not  we 
expect  from  them  whe  the  approaching  Winter  deprives 
us  of  the  former,  and  when  the  troops  which  are  only 
hired  from  New  England  occasionally,  and  for  a  small  time, 
have  returned  home?  *  •  •  As  their  numbers  amount 
to  near  Seven  thousand  Persons,  the  driving  them  off  Avith 
leave  to  go  whither  they  pleased,  wou'd  have  doubtless 
strengthened  Canada  with  so  Considerable  a  Number  of 
Inhabitants,  and  as  they  have  no  cleared  land  to  give  them 
at  present,  such  as  were  able  to  bear  Arms  must  have  been 
immediately  employed  in  annoying  this  and  the  Neighbour- 


i 


.•m 


1 


M|pwiwn«*i("www 


23 


ing  Colonies. 


To  prevent  such  an  inconvenience  it  was 
judged  as  necessary,  and  the  only  practicable  measure  to 
divide  them  among  the  Colonies,  where  they  may  be  of 
some  use  as  most  of  them  are  healthy  and  strong  People." 
This  was  the  plan  that  was  carried  out.  The  governors  of 
the  Colonies,  however,  for  the  most  part  were  not  pleased 
with  this  arrangement,  and  refused  to  provide  for  their 
residence  among  them.  This,  of  course-  caused  much  suf- 
fering among  them,  and  many  of  them  wandered  about, 
finding  no  settled  place  of  abode.  Many  finally  found 
their  way  back  to  their  French  kinsmen. 

This  dispersion  of  the  Acadians  has  been  characterized 
as  an  act  of  cruelty  surpassing  in  atrocity  anything  ever 
done  by  the  French,  not  excepting  the  Massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  or  the  wholesale  burnings  of  Protestants. 
This  is,  of  course,  exaggeration.  That  it  was  an  act  of 
cruelty  is  admitted.  The  question  is,  was  it  necessary? 
The  English  were  in  :v  precarious  position,  face  to  face 
with  a  treacherous  enemy,  French  and  savage,  with  a  sub- 
ject population  hostile  to  them  r,c  heart,  and  liable  at  any 
time  from  inactive  lookers-on  to  become  active  enemies. 
The  situation  described  cannot  be  questioned.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  if  the}'  had  not  sent  away  the  Acadi-ins,  they 
might  have  finally  completed  the  conquest  of  ^he  country, 
but  this  we  have  no  right  to  affirm.  It  is  certain  that 
many  of  the  wisest  and  most  patriotic  among  them  re- 
srarded  the  removal  of  the  Acadians  and  the  colonization 
of  the  country  left  vacant  by  them,  as  a  necessity.  It  has 
even  been  asked  if  it  would  not  have  been  better  for  Eng- 
land and  the  English  race  if  the  scheme  of  deportation  had 
been  extended. 

The  Acadians  have  been  depicted  by  some  writers  as 
having  been  a  people  quite  above  the  ccmimon  passions  of 
mankind ;  living  "  an  idyllic  life "  of  simplicity,  purity 
and  freedom  from  guile ;  loving  and  lovable.  The  truth 
is,  that  we  shall   Snd   their  counterpart   in   the   French 


1 


f" 


24 


hahitana  of  today.  In  Vol.  284  of  Nova  Scotia  Docu- 
ments, utider  tlie  title,  "  ObHervations  on  tiio  Progress  of 
Asrriculture  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  v,ith 
notices  of  Acadian  manners  and  customs,  in  a  project  of 
Moses  de  la  Dernier,  Esq.,"  they  are  thus  described: 

"The  fonner  inhabitants,  the  Acadians  who  were  settled 
before  us  ow  the  different  rivers  which  empty  in  the  Bay 
of  Fundy,  i.ad  many  difficulties  to  encounter — being 
ignorant  of  the  nature  and  fertility  of  these  valuable 
Marshes — but  so  soon  as  they  acquired  the  knowledge 
of  their  great  production  of  all  sorts  of  Grain,  and  the 
facility  of  Obtaining  Great  Crops  with  little  Labour,  They 
gave  up  the  cultivation  of  the  upland  to  that  degree  as  to 
make  no  use  of  their  manure,  and  also  chose  to  remove 
their  barns  and  Hovels,  rather  than  cart  it  away.  They 
were  so  ignorant  of  the  true  principles  of  Husbandry  that 
in  the  course  of  a  century  and  a  half  they  neither  made 
cheese  nor  butter  that  was  merchantable,  and  not  having 
any  knowledge  of  trade  and  commerce  and  no  emulation 
or  animation,  but  full  of  Bigotry  and  superstition,  they 
disdained  to  avail  themselves  of  Instructions  which  they 
might  have  had  from  Strangers,  who  settled  from  time  to 
time  among  them — The}'-  did  not  labour  more  than  half 
their  time,  the  other  half  being  chiefly  taken  up  by  their 
holidays." 

This  writer  was  much  neai'er  them  in  point  of  time 
than  wc  are ;  but  that  they  are  fairly  represented  by 
the  hahitans  of  today  is  declared  by  Joseph  Guillaume 
Barthe,  membre  de  ITnstitut  Canadien,  in  his  remarkable 
book,  "Le  Canada  Reconquis  par  la  France."  "In  spite," 
he  proudly  says,  "  of  two  centuries  of  foreign  domination 
and  unheard  of  efforts  put  forth  by  the  new  possessors  to 
assimilate  the  inhabitants  of  the  conquered  country,  the 
French  of  (janada  always  preserve  the  same  language  of 
their  fathers,  the  same  religion,  the  same  customs,  the 
same  kind  of  life."     And  he  asks,  "What  more  does  one 


; 


'-%»■ 


i^'^amtemtmm 


1 


25 


•1 


1 


want  for  the  resemblance?  "  Here  we  have  the  key  to  the 
whole  mattei".  From  the  beginning  they  have  been  taught 
by  their  priests  to  preserve  their  habits  and  customs,  their 
traditions  and  folk-lore,  and,  above  all,  their  language  and 
fealty  to  France  and  to  Rome.  They  have  had  constantly 
kept  before  their  eyes  the  picture  of  a  new  epoch,  with 
France  the  holy  son  of  Rome  crowned  with  the  laurel  of 
victory,  and  dispensing  to  them  with  a  lavish  hand  the 
treasures  of  which  they  have  been  despoiled  by  the  heretic 
usurper,  who  lies  prone  tinder  the  iron  heel  of  the  im- 
perious victor.  This  vision  is  as  bright  today  as  it  was 
to  the  poor  Acadians  in  the  time  of  Gaulin  and  St.  Poncy 
and  Le  Loutre.  The  Ancten  Regime  is  to  be  again 
restored,  and  New  France  is  to  rule  not  only  the  domain 
of  which  England  has  despoiled  her,  but  New  England  as 
well,  and  who  knows  how  far  beyond  her  bounds  ?  This 
dream  seems  almost  too  wild  for  sane  men  to  entertain, 
but  it  is  entertained  as  a  matter  of  faith ;  indeed,  it  has 
become  a  dogma  and  is  tenaciously  adhered  to  even  by 
men  regarded  as  wise. 

Some  time  ago  the  papers  of  New  Orleans  gave  a  report 
of  a  lecture  by  a  prominent  lawyer  of  that  city,  delivered 
to  a  French  association.  In  this  lecture  the  bald  declara- 
tion was  made  that  the  French  people  were  to  be  restored 
to  their  ancient  rights  to  this  continent.  The  fecundity  of 
the  French  people  was  dwelt  upon,  and  attention  was 
drawn  to  the  increasing  sterility  of  the  Anglo-Saxons, 
which,  it  was  stated,  would  in  time  give  the  French  a 
numerical  superiority.  The  enthusiastic  speaker  urged 
his  hearers  to  maintain  their  ancient  traditions,  their 
habits  and  customs,  and,  above  all,  their  language  and 
religion.  They  were  advised  to  keep  their  children 
out  of  the  English  schools,  and  to  maintain  schools  of 
their  own  everywhere.  Money,  he  said,  was  being  lib- 
erally supplied  by  their  kinsmen  in  France  to  maintain 
such  schools,  in  which  loyalty  to  French  ideas  must  be 


"•■«*i«ii 


2B 


il 


>'l) 


taught.  They  were  admonished  to  maintain  ever  bright 
the  fires  of  loyalty  to  France.  He  told  them  that  in 
Now  Enffland  the  ffood  work  ot  French  colonization  v.-as 
spreading,  and  that  in  Louisiana  the  promise  of  future 
French  domination  was  good.  He  advised  his  hearers  not 
to  pennit  their  children  to  contract  marriages  with  the 
English,  but  to  keep  themselves  a  separate  people  in  every 
resptct  and  to  use  the  F^nglish  language  only  when  obliged 
to  use  it.  These  sentiments  arc  only  too  common  in 
Canada.  At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Royal  Society  of 
Canada  at  Montreal  Avere  several  members  of  French  ex- 
traction, but  at  the  same  time  English  subjects,  as  their 
ancestors  for  several  generations  had  been.  To  the  sur- 
prise of  some  of  the  American  delegates,  their  papers  were 
in  the  French  language,  although  the  audience  was  mostly 
English.  The  president,  Avho  was  English,  at  the  close  of 
one  of  these  papers,  quietly  but  pleasantly  remai-ked  that 
the  paper  was  interesting,  but  would  have  been  more  so  if 
it  had  been  in  English.  The  rebuke  was  not  sufficiently 
pointed,  as  many  doubtless  felt.  Here  were  men  who  had 
been  born  and  bred  under  the  free  and  beneficent  rule  of 
England.  To  her  broad  and  liberal  institutions  they  owed 
a  debt  of  gratitude  which  they  could  never  repay,  and  yet 
they  deliberately  emphasized  the  fact  that  they  were  still 
French,  and  prided  themselves  in  being  so.  We  cannot 
understand  this  intense  loyalty  to  a  foreign  power  until  we 
find  its  source  in  the  religious  teaching  of  these  people. 
From  the  day  of  England's  acquisition  of  the  country  they 
have  been  taught  that  her  rule  was  to  be  temporary,  and 
that  Providence  was  at  last  to  restore  to  France  her 
ancient  dominions.  Rome,  Avbom  Cardinal  Gibbons  him- 
self declares  is  ruled  by  "a  bureau  of  administrators,"  and 
whom  Victor  (^harbonel,  in  his  late  letter  to  the  Pope 
relinquishing  his  clerical  office,  so  fittingly  denominates 
"an  ecclesiastical  organization,  which  uses  religion  for 
skillful  administration,  makes  it  a  domineering  power,  a 


■tk  Villi  I 


iiiM'inii||il,IW>»in 


ID 


means  of  social  and  intellectual   oppression,  a  system  of 
intolerance,"  has  sedulously  fostered  this  wild  dream,   in 
order   to   herself   hold   the   people   in   subjection  to  hm- 
dictates.     Barthe,  whose  book,  "Canada  Reconquered  by 
France,"  has  already  been  quoted,  after  rejoicing  in  the  . 
fact  that  the  French  under  British  rule  have  never  changed, 
thus  effervesces  :  "  New  Hebrews  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon, 
they  ardently  aspire  to  return  to  that  family  from  which 
they  have  been  grievously  separated  by  the  exigencies  of 
inexorable  politics.     Their  "only  way  of  salvation  in  this 
terrible  alternative,  at  least  for  the  moment,  is  to  solicit 
and  obtain  the  patronage  of  the  ancient  metropolis,  which, 
by  diverting  Ui  them  a  part  of  its  superfluous  population, 
will  enable  them  in  a  measure  to  counterbalance  and  live 
on  the  same  footing  of  equality  with  the  ever  increasing 
English  emigration,  thus  aiding  them   in   repressing   the 
American    invasion.      Later,    Eternal    Providence,    who 
watches  over  the  progi'ess  and  liberty  of  all  people  or- 
phaned or  disinherited,  and  who  when  they  have  attained 
their  majority,  or  the  fullness  of  their  strength,  cries  in 
their  ears  these  all  powerful  words,  'arise  and  walk,  be- 
cause thou  hast  no  more  need  of  tutelage,  and  because 
thou  also  hast  the  right  of  sitting  at  the  common  feast,' 
later,  we  say,  Eternal  Providence  will  achieve  for  Canada 
complete  emancipation."      His  closing  words  are  equally 
remarkable,  and  we  may  add  one  more  brief  quotation. 
"  Behold,"  he  cries,  "  O  France,  our  worth  1     Behold  what 
we  have  done  to  remain  faithful.     For  thee,  it  now  is,  to 
decide  if  we  shall  be  punished  for  this  fidelity  by  a  com- 
plete abandonment ;  if  we  shall  be  disowned  by  thee,  be- 
cause Destiny  lias  torn  us  from  thy  arms ;  if  we  shall  be 
forgotten  because  misfortune  has  in   some   small   degree 
altered  our  resemblance.     Then  wouldst  thou  be  less  gen- 
erous tlian  Joseph  sold  by  his  brethren,  who  recognized 
them  in  the  day  of  his  prosperity,  and  surely  it  is  not  we 
who  have  sold  thee."    Then  follow  certain  "Pieces  Justifi- 


;„..    '0 


S3S52S2SSBBEr:- 


28 


catives,"  or  Proofs,  Hhowing  what  steps  have  been  already 
taken  to  re(!onneet  the  bonds  of  sympathy  with  France. 
It  is  difficult  for  an  American  or  an  Englishman  to  believe 
that  the  author  of  this  book  is  serious,  yet  he  has  been 
accepted  by  Frenchmen  in  Canada  and  France  as  voicing 
the  advanced  sentiments  of  Frenchmen  on  both  continents  ; 
indeed,  as  prophetic  of  the  future  restoration  to  power  of 
New  France,  more  resplendent  in  glory  than  ever.  As 
has  been  said,  it  is  difficult  for  one  in  whose  veins  cir- 
culates the  temperate  blood  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  to  take 
these  utterances  as  serious ;  but  this  difficulty  vanishes 
when  we  consider  the  character  of  some  of  the  publications 
which  are  circulated  among  the  French  operatives  in  our 
New  England  factory  towns  and  their  kinsmen  over  the 
border. 

Take  but  one  of  these  publications  of  the  better  sort, 
The  Bethelem,  a  monthly  illustrated  magazine,  published 
in  seveml  languages  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of  St. 
Anthony,  who  is  its  patron.  In  its  columns  are  advertised 
certain  "  holy  industries,"  some  of  which  are  the  sale  of 
rosaries,  chaplets,  crosier  beads  and  "  memorial  lists  of  the 
poor  souls  in  Purgatory,"  all  of  which  are  "enriched"  with 
various  indulgences. 

The  department  devoted  to  correspondents  is  filled  with 
responses  from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  which  are  painful 
to  read,  as  they  indicate  that  the  minds  of  the  writers  are 
aa  clouded  with  supei'stition  as  if  they  belonged  to  the 
middle  ages  instead  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. ^  This  is 
only  alluded  to  in  order  to  refresh  our  memories  respect- 
ing the  kind  of  teaching  which  the  Acadians  received,  and 
as  a  reminder  of  what  their  descendants  a  century  and  a  half 
later  are  receiving,  and  it  is  unwise  for  a  modern  author 


>  Thug  one  man  sends  a  gltt  because  through  the  Saint's  help  he  has  been  enabled 
to  purchase  a  piece  of  property  at  a  price  desired,  and  another  because  he  has  sold 
his  house  at  a  good  price.  A  woman  contributes  for  the  benefit  of  the  Souls  in 
Purgatory  because  the  Saint  has  procured  work  for  her  husband  and  son,  and 
others  for  various  services  rendered  by  the  Saint. 


''^\ 


It:' 


to  contend  that  the  AcadianH,  ignorant  and  suiwrstitious, 
and  practised  upon  by  such  invontionH  a8  have  boon  men- 
tioned, were  independent  of  their  teachers,  and  followed 
unti-ammelled  the  dictates  of  their  own  judgments  in 
refusing  to  become  loyal  English  citizens. 

When  we  consider  the  case  of  these  poor  people,  of 
families  forcibly  removed  from  their  homes,  often  sepa- 
rated, and  compelled  to  wander  in  exile,  suffering  want, 
and  always  unwelcome  guests,  we  may  well  shed  tears  of 
sympathy  for  them;  and  knowing  their  character,  how 
simple  and  ignorant  and  stubborn  they  were,  how  firm 
their  belief  in  the  value  of  merit  resulting  from  obedience 
to  the  teachings  of  their  missionaries,  we  need  not  wonder 
that  they  went  blindly  on,  through  physical  inconvenience 
and  suffering,  to  attain  a  reward  commensurate  therewith  ; 
'  and  this,  it  may  be  reasonably  affirmed,  and  not  English 
trickery  and  cruelty,  as  lias  been  asserted,  caused  the 
deportation  of  the  Acadians. 


